Suvimendi: I am surprised by Merino s scoring ability. The strength of the Spanish midfielder lies in the overall

 10:54pm, 14 November 2025

Spain will face Georgia and Turkey in the next World Cup preliminaries. In the pre-match press conference, Suvimendi talked about his opponent Georgia and also looked forward to this World Cup.

How is Georgia expected to deal with Spain?

"They will want to counterattack quickly after we lose the ball. We didn't completely control the situation at home, so we have to be very careful in that regard."

Who is Georgia's most important player?

"Obviously, they have some players who are at important clubs, like Kvala Tskhelia or Mamardashvili. But as a whole, they will definitely try to make it difficult for us, and everything in the game depends on the performance of the entire team."

What do you think of the schedule?

"I don't pay much attention to outside comments. It's true that there are a lot of games, but I prefer to keep playing and see how far we can go."

How do you evaluate your teammate Merino?

"I am surprised by his scoring ability. I have known him for a long time and I know he has always wanted to improve in this area. He has made great progress now and works very hard in training."

Spain is called the best team in the world. What do you think?

"This must be proven every day, and ultimately it will be reflected by winning the World Cup. First of all, promotion, and then you must perform well at critical moments."

What is so special about Spain's midfielder?

"One of our strengths is that we have a very strong unit. We understand each other, which helps us play football better."

Have you ever imagined yourself playing in the World Cup?

"To be honest, not yet. It sounds crazy, but we still have to advance first. We have to play every game until the last minute."

When you see who the referee (Bastian, who officiated Manchester United 4-1 Real Sociedad) is, do you remember anything?

"This is inevitable. This is not personal against me and Merino, but we will give him another chance tomorrow."